Bowflex TreadClimber TC5000 Treadmill Reviews

treadmill Doctor Note :

$2500 is a bunch of money to spend on a treadmill that has such a limited application due to the unique design. One of the Nordictrack Incline Trainers will also give you a great workout at a lower price.

MSRP:

$2499

Walking Area:

3.8

Power:

4.4

Cushioning:

10

Reliability:

6.7

Noise Level:

7.2

Quality:

6.8

Value:

7.7

Warranty:

4.5

Overall Rating: 6.61

If you consider this one, you might want to go to your doctor and get a saliva test because we think you may have been bit by a rabid animal. Seriously, be sure that you want this before you buy because mail order units are difficult and expensive to return.

General Information

The Bowflex TreadClimber is a complex design and if you want this type of high-intensity workout, you are better off- in terms of a less complex machine- with the NordicTrack incline trainers. With that, you also get NordicTrack's infamous customer service so if you want good customer service- better stick with Bowflex. Plus Nautilus has worked on the quality of the TreadClimber over the past few years and we have heard few complaints of late about quality so although we are still being cautious, they look like they have tackled the issues that the complex design creates.

Quality / Philosophy

Their design philosophy seems to be: make a beautiful package with that priority over quality. That has caused noise problems with their regular treadmills due to the plastic parts. On the TreadClimber, one point of wear we expect to see a problem with is the hydraulic shocks. It also has a very complex mechanical design with two walking belts, which doesn't bode well for long-term reliability.

Outlook

Bowflex is one of the brands of Nautilus. Nautilus on paper is continuing to improve but they are still losing money. Not sure if investors are going to want to see their equity continue to erode but that's up to the investors. For this reason, we have a murky outlook on product support on products sold by this company.